The NHL Network released their list of the Top 20 Centers in the league right now on Monday morning. As you probably guessed, Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin made the list. But is he in the right spot?
From now until July 1, 2019, the Dallas Stars organization could have plenty of different items on the agenda beckoning for their undivided attention.
The success of the new offseason acquisitions, the effectiveness of new head coach Jim Montgomery, and the team’s ability to compete in a loaded Central Division will most certainly be in the mix. But so will Tyler Seguin, especially if he doesn’t sign a contract extension before the season begins.
Dallas is trying to not let that happen, though. The Stars are reportedly still in talks with Seguin and his representatives as they try and craft out a new deal before Oct. 4. But why the rush?
The rush is due to a few different factors. A primary factor has to do with the thought of letting the situation linger. If Dallas lets Seguin enter the final year of his deal with no confirmed security waiting on the other side, that puts them in a tough spot that likely requires a lot of success. If Seguin sees the team struggling and even potentially miss the postseason for the third year in a row, would he still want to sign a long-term contract with the franchise?
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Only he really knows the answer to that. But, from a logical standpoint, it would seem as though he would be able to find better offers on the market that offer him a much better chance at winning it all.
The other factor has to do with Seguin’s abilities. It’s hard to find a talent like Tyler Seguin around the league. At 26 years old, he continues to impress and build on his potential. The 2017-18 season was arguably the best one of his career and once again brought up his importance to the current Dallas squad.
But while he’s an incredibly influential and important centerpiece in the Dallas Stars organization, how does he stack up with the other centers in the NHL?
The NHL Network took this question and ran with it. And on Monday morning, they released a list ranking the Top 20 Centers in the NHL right now. Tyler Seguin came in at number nine on the list.
ICYMI: Here are our Top 20 Centers in the NHL right now. #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/3NeJuzarQG
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 6, 2018
It was around this time last year that the NHL Network released the same list as they continued their summer countdown of the “Top 20” players at each position. On the 2017 list, Seguin came in as the eighth best center. So, he fell one spot in a season’s time.
Before you make a reach for the “idiot” button, let’s look into this. And remember to go about it with an open mind. Yes, it’s easy to say that Tyler Seguin is the best center in the league… as a Stars fan. But make sure to give every top center a fair look.
If you didn’t already notice, the top four on this list did not change from 2017 to 2018. Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Auston Matthews remained in the same spots. It’s hard to argue against McDavid’s talent or Crosby and Malkin’s consistent success both in their respective careers and with the Penguins team as a whole.
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I questioned Auston Matthews’ place on the list last summer even though he played an 82-game season and posted 40 goals and 69 points. This past season, he only played in 62 games, putting up 34 goals and 63 points. While those numbers are good, he still missed a quarter of the season.
Nathan MacKinnon is new to the list overall. After Colorado put together a truly horrifying 2016-17 season and MacKinnon only posted 53 points in 82 games, it wasn’t logical to include him on the list. But last season’s 39-goal, 97-point performance in 74 games helped him reassert himself at the top of the NHL’s talent board.
Anze Kopitar‘s 35-goal, 92-point performance in 82 games last year was enough to boost him from 13th to sixth. Mark Scheifele jumped from tenth to seventh after 27 goals and 60 points in 60 games while also leading Winnipeg back to the playoffs. And finally, Patrice Bergeron put up 30 goals and 63 points in 64 games, which is seemingly enough to push him from eleventh to eighth.
Then you have Seguin. But this is where things really get interesting.
First off, you have to bring in to account that this list seems to be judging the players largely on their 2017-18 season performance. Otherwise, MacKinnon wouldn’t have jumped from NR (not ranked) to fifth overall. His numbers through the first four seasons of his career don’t necessarily support him being in the top 20, but his fifth season made all the difference.
If that is the case, however, then it’s intriguing to think that Seguin actually dropped a spot. After all, the 2017-18 season was arguably the best year of the superstar center’s career so far.
Seguin has almost been a point-per-game player since joining the Dallas Stars in July 2013. In 387 contests, he has 173 goals and 384 points. That alone speaks volumes about his level of talent.
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But in 2017-18, he somehow grew even more as both a skater and a leader. Under Ken Hitchcock’s short-lived supervision, Seguin transformed from a typical offense-heavy scorer into one of the most well-rounded centers in the game.
He once again continued his dominance in the offensive zone, scoring 40 goals (a career-high) and tallying 78 points along with a +12 rating. Seguin finished first on the team in goals and second in points and also claimed first place rights in power play goals (14) and power play points (25). He posted a career-high in average time on ice with 20:55 and took a career-high number of face-offs, winning 54.9 percent of them. That’s a lot of records and career highs.
But wait, there’s more. Seguin also significantly improved his play in the defensive zone. His hit totals were up, he was visibly more aggressive in the defensive zone, and played with patience and structure in the zone instead of waiting for a breakout pass to head the other direction. That’s not something that can be easily taught to a natural scoring forward, but Hitchcock did it with Seguin in a short amount of time. No. 91 also took on a new role playing on the Stars’ penalty kill.
His play in all three zones looked more effective and dangerous than in prior seasons and left a lot to look forward to (including a new contract).
Another substantial part of Seguin’s play that is often overlooked when comparing players is durability. Yes, injuries are not planned and, as a result, cannot be stopped upon happening. But it’s impressive to see Seguin playing top line minutes on a nightly basis and playing in his second straight 82-game campaign in 2017-18. After a handful of time-consuming injuries in his first few seasons with Dallas, he’s looked ultimately healthy since October 2016. That says a lot both about how he plays the game and his dedication level.
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Were those factored in to the NHL Network’s ranking when they put players who played in 60-70 games last season above him? It’s hard to tell, primarily because of how many different aspects can be debated when ranking players.
At the end of the day, it’s a difficult game to play when comparing players with an intent to rank them because each player can be so vastly different. Even though they are playing the same position, their determined skill sets can vary. Are puck handling skills and power play efforts more important or are speed and defensive play the bigger aspects? That depends on both the player and the team.
For the Dallas Stars, they know what they need of Tyler Seguin and continue to get it on a yearly basis. Whether he’s first, ninth, or fiftieth on any list, the bottom line is that he fills the void that Dallas desperately needs filled. That’s about all the team can ask for.
And isn’t 9 a pretty reliable number for the organization, anyways?